Through the Years
by Darkness of another kind
Summary: Marceline is the half demon, half human heir to the Nightosphere and Bonnibel is the princess to a developing kingdom. Both are very different, yet something pulls them together. And something else drags them apart. Rated M for later chapters. Will have elements of Finn/Flame princess, Jake/Lady Rainicorn, and one sided Finn/Princess Bubblegum.
1. Chapter 1

A/N I've never written a fanfiction before, so criticism would be greatly appreciated. The story will be slow for a little while, so for those of you who enjoy a long story I hope you enjoy.

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Chapter 1: An Introduction

Hunson Abadeer is the ruler of the Nightosphere. The king of chaos and the lord of evil. Harbinger of destruction and the eater of souls. Not only that, he is the single parent of a teenage girl. And that was the most terrifying part. He feared for his daughter, although he would never admit that simple fact to anyone. He left her away from the Nighosphere for a reason after all. How could he have known what would happen? He was thankful Marceline was strong enough to survive even if... Unfortunately, Marceline didn't see it that way. After he originally brought her home, she had been happy. Well, as happy as she could be. He still had to manage all of evil, and didn't have much time for her. He didn't know how to be a father, let alone to a half human girl. He knew demons and monsters. He knew dark deals and bribes. Kids were hard enough, let alone teenage kids. Their relationship was further strained when he accidentally ate her fries so soon after bringing her home. She was very distraught and he didn't know what to do with her. Her mother would have known... Hunson shook his head before returning to his work. He had no time for that. It was coming time for the grand meeting of Ooo royalty. A boring, pointless event that happens every 150 years where the other kings try to threaten and beg Hunson to stop whatever major threat he was giving them this time. Not even realizing that their so called great nations were poor and undeveloped compared to the vast empires that used to battle him with their various gods and magic tricks. Everyone always thought they were the hero who was going to defeat and destroy evil. Everyone except King Charles Bubblegum, the only person Hunson would consider a friend. He was the only one smart enough to understand that the world needs evil, and Hunson respected that in a person. From what he heard, Charles' daughter, Bonnibel, had inherited his smarts. Maybe she could be a good influence on that daughter of his.**  
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	2. Charles

They traveled swiftly from the Nightosphere and began the long journey to the Royal Hall. Or at least that's what Marceline hoped. She longed to see something other than fire and blood, and a long trip would have been just the thing to soothe her restless heart. Instead, Hunson opened up a demonic portal that led them straight to the Royal Hall. On the bright side, it would be a couple more days until everyone would arrive. At least there was that. So far, only a handful of royalty had shown up. The Lump Space King and Queen, The Warrior King, Raggedy Queen, King and Queen Bubblegum, and The Vampire King. Each surrounded by their own guard, excluding The Lord of the Nightosphere and The Vampire King. The other royals looked at Hunson and The Vampire King with detest. Like they didn't belong there. Hunson technically wasn't a royal, and according to the rumors The Vampire King ruled no kingdom. Still they show up, and rarely say anything when they do. Marceline heard it all in the silent whispers of the loose lipped guards and some of the more gossipy royals (prodiminantly those of the purple and lumpy variety). Her pointed ears captured far more than most.

"Hunson, my dear friend, it's been far too long." A deep male voice boomed. The type of voice that was used to speaking to large crowds. Charles Bubblegum approached the Abadeers with a big smile on his bubblegum face. He was a fit man, unlike most kings, with white bubblegum skin, thick pink hair, and a multi-colored jawbreaker crown on his brow that had a turquoise jewl imbeded in the center. The bannana guards looked at their king with a mix of worry and fear as he shook hands with the source of all evil.

"Charles, a pleasure. Allow me to introduce my daughter, Marceline." King Bubblegum's light purple eyes looked over Marceline not harshly, as she was accustomed to, and she shifted uncomfortably at the kindness is his gaze. Marceline had the same ash-grey skin and pointed ears of her father with dark eyes and darker hair held up in a ponytail. She had refused a dress and instead rebelliously stood in black slacks, a dark purple blouse, and a black vest.

"She reminds me of her mother." Charles stated simply, but the words cut the Abadeers deep. Charles must have noticed this, as he quickly changed the subject. "I have a daughter of my own here. She's off with her mother at the moment, getting settled in. We're probably going to be here for a while. Perhaps you'll find her and the other princesses later. I'm afraid we'll have to speak later, as I must prepare for what's to come. Good day to you both." With that King Bubblegum spun on his heel, his pink half-cape billowing, and sped away with the bannana guards at his heels.


	3. Bubblegum

This was the first royal meeting any of the princesses had attended, and it was quickly obvious that their excitement was unwarranted. It was boring. On the bright side, Princess Bubblegum got to met people who had more in common with her. They didn't have to pretend to like her, like her servants did. They still had to follow royal courtesies and follow the rules of the royal hall. Still, this was the freeist Pb had ever been. The first person she met was Lumpy Space Princess, and rightfully called. She was a floating purple cloud who was very loud, and very opinionated. Still, she found she liked the obnoxious princess and was with her frequently. She liked Warrior Princess well enough, but felt the princess was too withdrawn. Still, if her kingdom would one day need assistance in a war, Warrior Princess would be a very good friend to have. She could hardly stand to look at Raggedy Princess. She was taught that the royal family was a symbol of hope and prosperity and should appear as such. Raggedy princess was the opposite of this. Still, the pleasantries taught to her by her brutal tutors reigned and she was pleasant to the princess. One by one over the next couple of days she met each princess, formally, upon the first hour of their arriving. Each looking their best (or at least attempted) and showing their strength and pride, but there was something that bothered her. She could sometimes see another girl, one she hadn't met, close in age to herself but never saw. Always a glimpse of black hair around a corner or the sound of unfamiliar chuckling.

It was the fourth day before the last monarch, The Wildberry Queen, arrived and the meeting could begin. They spoke of borders and war, of peace and trade, and of sweet lies and bitter truths. Many of the princesses took no mind. The chances of them ruling being slim as they had elder sisters or brothers guarding home. Their best hope in life was to help a prince manage his kingdom when he became king, and they became his queen. Today, however, Princess Bubblegum had other plans. She was a scientist, one led by her undying curiosity and nothing made her more curious than the girl no one had met. Pb had asked around, but none of the royal guests had even seen her.  
"LSP, it just doesn't sit right with me. Maybe I'm just crazy."  
"Girl, you're, like, totally right. I've, like, seen her too." Of course! The residence of lumpy space tend to be the most gossipy group, and if anyone would know anything about this it would be LSP. "I heard she was, like, not even royal. What a poser. Wildberry Princess totally said she was from the Nightosphere. If that was true, you'd better stay the glob away from her."

The more evil rulers stayed in the back of the royal hall, away from everybody else partly because they enjoyed their solitude, partly to avoid conflict. That would explain why PB never saw her, she never went there herself. A plan was starting to form. It was still early in the day, and she reasoned that such creatures wouldn't even be awake right now. She politely excused herself from LSP's presence and headed to what seemed to be her room, only for her to walk right past it and turn another corner. It only took perhaps ten minutes to find her way to the dark halls. The shift was like night and day. While the rest of the halls were brightly colored yellows and whites, all she saw here was blacks and reds. Where they had various sources of artificial light, all that was here were wall torches and candles. It gave Pb the feeling of both excitement and dread. She could hear silent shuffling and could feel the eyes on her. She assumed it would be the undead guardians of these dark lords. Pb went over all the possible threats she could face before walking farther down these halls. Here stayed Night Queen, the morbid ruler of the kingdom farther south to the Fire Kingdom. The Goblin king and his goblin soldiers. Flame King and his flaming elementals. The Vampire King, who kept no guards. And Hunson Abadeer, the Lord of the Nightosphere. She knew next to nothing about the final two, who were (according to her father) older than time. It was frequently discussed why Lord Abadeer, who held no royal title, would sit in on these meetings when his answers were the same every time. She had, however, read about the Nightosphere. That was enough to send chills creeping up her spine, but that wasn't going to stop her. Her scientific mind couldn't take it. She had to meet this mysterious person. By any means necessary.


	4. Marceline

Marceline had spent most of her time exploring the Royal Hall since she had arrived, careful to avoid all others. She didn't want to have to deal with the formalities she hates or the accusing looks, as if it was her fault her father was the source of evil. In truth, she was afraid of how the other royalty would react. She hadn't had much interactions with people since living with her mother, and that was neigh on 200 years ago. She searched high in the rafters and the long forgotten attic. She found the basement that used to serve as a dungeon, and explored all the cells there. Even entertained herself by playing a few pranks on the servants with the bones. She carefully searched the halls at night, and stayed to the less explored places by day. As different and big as the royal hall was there was only so much Marceline could do before she started getting bored. Today was the fifth day of their visit and Marceline knew every corner of this place. Marceline left her room and walked down to the main hall. The main hall is a large, ballroom type room with marble floors and high white pillars. It was quite the sight, really. She passed through this grand room into the lesser kitchen area, where the only special part of this room was the delicious food. Breakfast had ended perhaps two to three hours ago, so this was the perfect time for the young demon to eat. She was lingering in the kitchen, sitting on the counter and eating some strawberries absentmindedly. Strawberries were her favorite, and it didn't require much effort to prepare. The princess that had been stalking her for the past couple of hours wasn't very good at it. She couldn't walk silently and her hiding left something to be desired. Turns out a corner didn't make a good hiding place, who knew? Marceline popped the last strawberry in her mouth before hopping off the counter and heading down the hallway. She walked slowly, deliberately, through the winding hallways. Turning a corner quickly, then another and waited ever so patiently. Her pointed ears perked and picking up even the softest sound, including the _tap tap tap_ of shoes on wood, the huff of disappointment, and the sliding of flesh on the wall. When that person finally came to this corner, Marceline jumped out and hissed, giggling as the pink person that was following her let out a small eep before landing on her butt.

"What are you doing following me?" The pink girl looked up and looked almost angry before calming herself. She stood up, dusted herself off, and straightened in that way royals do.

"My name is Princess Bonnibel Bubblegum of the Candy Kingdom. Who are you?" she gasped softly as she saw the girl for the first time in full view. Dark hair reaching to her mid back, ash-gray skin, dark eyes, and pointed ears. She was like nothing Pb had ever seen before, and likely not like anything she'll see again.

"Puddin' Tang, ask me again I'll tell ya the same." The young demon responded before turning around and continuing on her merry way. Pb stood mouth agape at the remark. No one had ever treated her with such disrespect!

"Wait! Where are you going?"

"Around." The demon replied stiffly. Pb ran up beside the demon and looked at her. "What?" The heir visibily stiffened, she wasn't used to being _examined _like she was (thought it seemed to be a growing trend). She looked at the pink girl staring at her and blushed slightly before looking away. The princess was a light pink in skin tone with thick, dark pink hair that reached just past her shoulders. The blue in her eyes still spoke innocence.

"I'm Marceline...the heir to the Nightosphere."

"I've never seen someone quite like you before."

"Your dad looked at me the same way." Surprise lit up Princess Bubblegum's face.

"You know my father?"

"Your father knows my father. We were introduced the first day."

"Then why weren't you introduced to everyone else. That's very selfish of you." Marceline stopped abruptly before turning to the young princess next to her.

"How in glob's name is that selfish?"

"You've denied everybody else your presence." Marceline looked at Pb funny before turning and continued her walk.

"Whatever, Bonnie."

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A/N: I wasn't really sure how I wanted this chapter to go. I must have rewritten it three times. Anyway, hopefully it turned out alright.


	5. Interaction

The half demon and the bubblegum creature today sat on the balcony of the highest floor of the Royal Hall. Marceline sat on the rail looking out, one leg on the rail beside her the other hanging limp. She was wearing an ash grey flannel, a darker grey scarf, a pair of ripped jeans, and some red converse. The holes in the jeans kind of counteracted the point of being warm, but that's never stopped the rebel. From here they could see miles and miles of mountain, where the clouds swirled around gracefully in thin halos. The ground that houses the petty squabbles of kingdoms are far away and can't be seen. The sun was just rising above the mountain peeks, shinning it's light brilliantly on the world with it's promise of a new day. The sunlight hit Marceline's face brilliantly. Anyone who saw her then would not see her as a demon. Pb was resting against the rail watching it all, but mostly she was watching Marceline. She was bundled more than Marceline, as it doesn't get this cold often in the Candy Kingdom. A feeling of peace settled over her and she breathed in deeply, enjoying the crisp mountain air. In all of Princess Bubblegum's life, she never really stood still and just enjoyed the moment for what it was. Just one small instance where you stop worrying about the future, and stopped regretting the past. This must be what happiness feels like. It was very early in the morning, and only the sound of the various servant's footsteps echoed through the halls. Fast, brash, and desperate those steps were as they made everything perfect for their highborn masters. Pb thought back to just an hour or two ago.

"Marcy, why are we up so early?" Pb whined as Marcy pulled back the heavy, rather dusty, curtains of the room the princess was occupying. Pb quickly learned that Marcy not only cared little for privacy (or authority, or courtesy, or tradition, or anything really) but also had ways of getting past her guards. (Although, to be honest, the Banana Guards have been lacking as of recent years.) Like everyone else gathered in that hall, she was very used to getting her way. The only difference being that _she _made it happen, while they expected it to happen.  
"I wanted to show you something. Just get dressed. And dress warm, it's gonna get cold." She was glad she listened. A heavy pink jacket and a purple scarf were her primary wear, but here she couldn't feel the cold. It ended all too early though as soon the giant bell of the Royal Hall rung, signifying it was time to start the day. Marceline hopped off the rail and gave Pb a mischievous grin before the two headed downstairs. Marceline disappeared at some point, as expected, before Pb ran into Turtle Princess and LSP.  
"Hey girl!" They shouted in their rather mannish voices.  
"Hey guys. How are you?"  
"We wanna know the deets, girl. Like, I heard you were totally hanging out with that Nightosphere chick. I don't believe it because, well, you're like, totally above that." LSP stated, flailing her arms about with each expression. Pb was filled with rage and about to say something when they were interrupted by the passing Lumpy Space King, who had a small banter session of his own with his daughter before they went to the table. So they had their suspicions, big deal. She wasn't ashamed of her friendship.  
Seeing at how it was breakfast, only the 'good' monarchs that ruled kingdoms in the sunlight were there. Pb tried to lightly converse with Hot Dog princess and Wildberry Princess, but her mind always ended up wandering away. They were pretty boring. So full of courtesy, general knowledge, and still lacked an expertise in a singular subject that could provide an exhilarating conversation Pb could benefit from. Right now they were talking about princes and weddings, something Pb could care less about at the moment. She glanced around the room absently when she saw a certain dark haired girl beckoning her in the dark cover the hallway provided. Pb politely excused herself from the table and headed to an opposite hallway, the one that lead to her room. There she met Marceline.  
"Ditching the party early. Very unlike you, Bonnie."  
"Please. It was only breakfast. Besides, I was finished anyway." The two girls were fond of wandering through the halls and simply talking to each other. There wasn't much else to do around here, and neither of them seemed to mind. They were very different, but very similar. Marceline knew things that Pb would have never imagined. "Oh yeah, the buildings used to reach the sky and were made of metal."  
"The sky! How is that even possible?"  
"Well, they just knew how to I guess. Architecture and junk."  
"Fascinating! The wonders of science."  
"Cool it, Bonnie. I could show you some things that'll make your head spin. Just gotta get out of this place first." Bonnie frowned at this. She didn't want this meeting to end. It would be back to her world of responsibility, to be groomed as the next queen of the Candy Kingdom. Back to endless lessons on royal customs and protocol, of economics and politics and courtesies. Back to locking herself in her lab. Back to being alone.


	6. Conflict

Marceline and Bonnibel spent a lot of time together over the course of the week-long meeting. Pb found that of all the royalty here, she liked Marcy the best. There were no formalities, no obstructions, no niceties. She was real, and that was something Pb never got to experience. Someone to tell her when she was doing something wrong and joke around with. No 'Princess' this, or 'duty' that. Everything was easy with Marceline. But it would all come to an end soon. Their parents were finished and everybody was packing up to go home. Princess Bubblegum was devastated. She could see LSP almost anytime. Wildberry princess, Turtle princess, and the others were all close by. Their kingdoms were somewhere she could visit. But not Marcelines. Not the Nightosphere. The young princess hadn't yet mastered the ability to hide her emotions, and her father just knew her far too well. King Bubblegum pulled her off to the side and asked what was wrong, the concern wrecking the mask that was normally royal formality. Where was she to begin?

BAM, CRASH, SHHHHINK. The sound of fighting fills the halls and royals of all sorts peek their heads out of the doors as their personal guards arm themselves. Soon orders are being barked and guards are being mobilized. Charles and Bonnibel Bubblegum forget their talk and turn to march towards the sound. There they see Queen Bubblegum had already organized the bannana guards, four of which rushed over to surround the candy royals. In the main room you can see a pre-teen girl brandishing what appeared to be a rapier (one of the decorative weapons that adorned the walls) against a humanoid creature of a similar disposition as her. The creature was deathly pale, as if blood once ran through the veins just under the skin but no longer. It was a chilling contract to the midnight black of it's hair, cut to the shoulders. It's ears longer and more pointed than Marceline's. It was a lean creature in a cloak of midnight hue and brandished a long scythe against the young heir. You could tell, though, it was just toying with her. A silky voice calls out to the fighting pair.

"Marceline, I know you don't like it there but that's where you belong. Architar, don't hurt her. Just incapacitate her." Hunson called out. There was no concern in that voice. Only cold order. Hunson stood just off to the side with his arms crossed. A red tie and black suit newly pressed. Shinny red boots and slicked back hair. Grey skin, pointed ears, and red cold eyes. Pb had never seen the Lord of the Nightosphere before. Now she understood the fear that was so heavily associated with him. Now she knew why the Nightosphere was a hated place. Now she understood why Marceline had isolated herself. When she looked at that face and heard that voice, it sent chills up her spine. She saw past all that, though. In Hunson, she could see Marceline. That made him seem not as frightening. Without fully thinking about what she was doing, Bonnibel ran up to the Lord of the Nightosphere.

"Lord Abadeer, what is the meaning of this? There's to be no violence at the Royal Meeting." Pb looked up defiantly at Hunson, even managing to make eye contact.

"Whoa, Charles, this kid has some guts. Not many can look me in the eyes. Listen kid, her home's in the Nightosphere. Can't just have her wandering around up here again." Marceline charged at the demon named Architar again, lunging forward before pivoting on her leading foot, looking to slash at the back of his legs. The demon was part of Hunson's best, and easily side stepped the blow before swinging his scythe lazily. Parry, pivote, dodge, CLASH, CLANG, SWISH. Velvet voices calling out very real threats. Princesses crying in fear, and monarchs with heavy scowls and red faces. And then, before Bonnibel could even process what happened, everything just stopped. No clatter. No clanging. Even Hunson seemed surprised, but only in a way Marceline, Charles, and Bonnibel would notice. Only a look deep in the eyes betrayed. The Vampire King stood between the demon guard and the half demon heir. With one hand, no not a hand, _two fingers _he held the blade of the scythe slightly above his head in midblow. The demon's quavering arms the only thing that betrayed the fact he was trying to pull away. The king's other hand held Marceline's wrist from a mid-lunge, leaving just the tip of the blade resting on the ground. He smirked and spoke, a voice that dripped with silky mockery and honeyed lies. A voice that inspired fear and admiration at once.

"I'm sure there's a nice compromise here. No need to shed any _blood_." The way he said that last word was almost like a hiss. Like a word he loathed and loved at the same time. He crossed his arms, sending both the demon and Marceline to the ground. "Look at her, Lord Abadeer, she's so pathetically _human_ I almost want to drink her right now. Human's don't belong in the Nightosphere." Everyone stiffened at the bold words. The Vampire King rarely said anything at all to anyone. Nobody knew where he went after the meetings or what he or his kind really did. He was a mystery. No one knew how old he was, but they do know that his kind existed long before even the recorded history of humans.

Hunson didn't respond right away, no they never did. Everyone held their breath and waited second after agonizing second.

...

Hunson's laugh was harsh and cruel, shrill in the silence. The Vampire King's smirk grew into smile. The tension in the room got to unbearable levels before a word was spoken.  
"Then we have one more matter before we officially close this meeting."


End file.
